Patient characteristics. Values are n (%) or median (interquartile range).
| Characteristics | Women with SLE, n = 191 | Patients with Carotid Ultrasound, n = 113 |
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Age, yrs | 48.6 (34.8–57.4) | 50.6 (39.6–59.5) |
| Marital status, married/common law | 106 (55) | 63 (56) |
| Education, completed college or higher | 133 (70) | 78 (69) |
| Employment, working | 78 (41) | 37 (33) |
| Race | ||
| White | 109 (57) | 66 (58) |
| Asian | 39 (20) | 25 (22) |
| Black | 33 (17) | 18 (16) |
| Other | 10 (6) | 4 (4) |
| Menopausal status, post-menopausal | 105 (55) | 71 (63) |
| BMI, kg/m2 | ||
| Obese, BMI ≥ 30 | 33 (17) | 19 (17) |
| Overweight, BMI ≥ 25 to < 30 | 47 (25) | 27 (24) |
| Normal, BMI ≥ 18.5 to < 25 | 100 (52) | 60 (53) |
| Underweight, BMI < 18.5 | 11 (6) | 7 (6) |
| Smoking | ||
| Current | 18 (9) | 8 (7) |
| Past | 43 (23) | 28 (25) |
| Never | 130 (68) | 77 (68) |
| Hypertension | 57 (30) | 35 (31) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 6 (3) | 6 (5) |
| LDL-C, mmol/l | 2.36 (1.95–2.78) | 2.20 (1.89–2.63) |
| Medication use | ||
| Antimalarial drugs | 142 (74) | 79 (70) |
| Antiplatelet or anticoagulant | 48 (25) | 34 (30) |
| Lipid-lowering drug | 29 (15) | 25 (22) |
| Prednisone | 85 (45) | 49 (43) |
| Average dose, mg/day | 5 (5–10) | 5 (5–10) |
| Disease characteristics | ||
| Disease duration, yrs | 16.0 (9.1–25.2) | 16.3 (9.2–26.3) |
| Disease activity by SLEDAI score | 2.0 (0–4.0) | 2.0 (0–4.0) |
| Disease damage by SDI score | 1.0 (0–2.0) | 1.0 (0–3.0) |
| Vascular damage characteristics | ||
| CIMT, mm | — | 593 (543–678) |
| Total CPA, mm2 | — | 0 (0–0.08) |
| Concentration of mpIC subtypes | ||
| Total annexin V+ mpIC, num/μl | 600 (300–1400) | 600 (300–1500) |
| CD41+ annexin V+ mpIC, num/μl | 130 (40–400) | 120 (40–400) |
| CD41+ annexin V− mpIC, num/μl | 100 (20–1000) | 100 (20–1100) |
| CD41− annexin V+ mpIC, num/μl | 400 (200–900) | 400 (200–1000) |
SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus; BMI: body mass index; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; SDI: Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index; CIMT: carotid intima-media thickness; CPA: carotid plaque area; mpIC: microparticle-containing immune complexes.